Chapter 70: Chapter 69: Passing on the Daughter’s Carving Skills
Daya, although young, already possessed the mature mindset of an adult. This might be because she was the elder sister to so many children, or perhaps it was because she had grown up through the hardships of a poor family, where the children of the impoverished often take on responsibilities early.
Today, Hongji carried water faster than usual. He felt he faced a new challenge; if he could carve four wooden Bodhisattvas yesterday, he would have to speed up today with more work to do, so he could spend more time on his carving.
During his water-carrying, he encountered villagers, many of whom had witnessed yesterday’s excitement. They decided this morning that after finishing their work, they would visit his home to see Hongji’s craftsmanship.
“Hongji, you’re carrying water, I see. Hurry up and finish so I can come over and check out your carving skills.”
Hongji could only nod, walking much faster than before. With most such inquiries, he would politely respond, “Hmm, you’re welcome to visit my home.”
Hongji knew that these people weren’t truly interested in his craftsmanship, many were just there for the spectacle.
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And what of it? He wasn’t bluffing; whether he was a “good dog,” would be clear as soon as he was taken out for a walk!
He didn’t fear ridicule. Even if his skills didn’t measure up to those of the true carving masters, he was confident in his abilities and that he could showcase his craft, even if it might not be on par with the great masters.
So what? He didn’t charge high prices. His items weren’t as expensive as those sold in the county or the big cities.
Hongji had already settled on a price for his wooden statues in his mind. The cost of the paint was about two cents, and his manual labor was ten cents a day. He also included the payment for his daughter’s drawing on the statues. The cheapest he could price them was twenty cents each.
At breakfast, Mrs. Lai asked Hongji about the pricing of the wooden statues and how much they were being sold for.
He shared the price he had in mind, and Mrs. Lai’s eyes crinkled with a smile when she heard that her son was selling the wooden Bodhisattvas for twenty coins each.
“Very good, stick with that price. Whether they buy one or ten or twenty, the price must stay fixed, it can only be higher, not lower.”
Ye Shuzhen, who had been thinking about asking her elder brother to carve a wooden Bodhisattva for her room, was silenced by the price he quoted. The thought of having an item worth twenty coins in her room made her hesitate, especially since it was equivalent to the money her mother earned from selling paintings.
But Ye Shuzhi was quick to calculate. Just yesterday, her elder brother had managed to carve four wooden Bodhisattvas, each for twenty coins, totaling eighty coins. Calculating for a month, it amounted to several taels of silver.
A year of this could certainly lead to wealth. Ye Shuzhi felt she had been betrothed too early. She would marry off soon, having lived in poverty at her parental home, with hardly any dowry.
If she married after the family became prosperous, she might find a better husband than her current match, and certainly have a larger dowry.
The closer her wedding day approached, the more anxious she became, even envious of Ye Shuzhen who wasn’t betrothed yet — truly, fools might indeed be blessed with foolish luck.
Ye Shuzhi didn’t want to settle for marrying a mere shopkeeper. She once thought it an advantage but now regretted her hasty engagement. Why had she agreed to it?
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She dared not speak of breaking off the engagement. No matter how commendable a woman was, canceling an engagement herself was as scandalous as being rejected, and would surely provoke gossip.
Hongji’s father, after hearing about the prices his son had set, wondered if such expensive items would sell.
If they did sell, his son wouldn’t need to work with him in furniture woodworking but could specialize in carving wooden paintings, which was more profitable than furniture woodworking.
Hongji’s father, a bit more shrewd, did some quick calculations and realized his son’s daily earnings were more than what they used to make together in a day.
Hongji’s father also had another idea. Although he couldn’t carve like his son, he could assist by sanding and painting the wooden paintings – tasks he was perfectly capable of.
If there wasn’t enough time to prepare the dowry for his second daughter, he was willing to outsource the work, paying someone else a wage rather than attempting it himself.
With his assistance in helping the son with the grunt work, the son could carve a few more wooden Bodhisattvas each day, which made the accounting much easier to manage.
Embracing this idea, he shared it with his son, and Hongji further mentioned to his father that he wished for his daughters to learn the craft during their spare time as well.
Hongji’s father remained silent without uttering a word. The woodcraft skill in their family had been passed down from generation to generation, from father to son, never to a daughter, because carpentry was dirty and exhausting, and there were some tasks women couldn’t do.
As his son said, carving could be taught to women—it was not like making furniture, which entailed heavy labor. At this age, his son still had no heir to carry on the family lineage, which was a source of constant concern for them.
In the end, Hongji’s father agreed to his son’s request and allowed his daughters to learn carving.
Ye Shuzhi and Ye Shuzhen, upon hearing their father and elder brother’s conversation, felt a sense of longing. The three sisters had not been able to learn their father’s woodworking craft, only the skill of lock-picking.
Usually, they would just follow Mrs. Lai to learn needlework, a skill every woman needed to mend and sew, to make shoes and clothes.
When their elder brother talked about letting his daughters learn the art of carving, the two of them felt drawn to the idea and expressed their desire to also learn carving.
Ye Shuzhen and Ye Shuzhi wanted to learn carving not for the skill itself, but because they were enticed by the price their brother mentioned one could get for a wooden Bodhisattva.
If they mastered the craft, carving one wooden Bodhisattva a day would bring in more money than a month’s worth of needlework.
At this moment, their minds were filled with visions of shiny silver coins, far removed from their previous fears of learning a difficult craft and their aversion to hard work.
Hongji did not reject the desires of his second and third sisters. If they wished to learn, he would let them—perhaps they would be inconsistent, fishing for three days and airing nets for two.
Learning a skill required perseverance and a willingness to endure hardship; it wasn’t something that could be mastered in just a day or two.
Hongji instructed them to finish their household chores before attempting to learn carving. However, they were not allowed to use the wood he had already prepared, but instead, they could practice on the waste wood from furniture-making.
After hearing their brother’s words, Ye Shuzhi and Ye Shuzhen eagerly finished their breakfast and quickly set about washing clothes, eager to finish their chores so they could learn the craft from their brother.
When Hongji discussed it with Daya and the other three daughters, Daya and the two younger sisters nodded in agreement, saying that after finishing their work in the fields, they would learn at home in the afternoon and evening.
Siwa and Wuwa were outright ignored by the family, as the two of them were always the most idle at home. The youngest, Wuwa, was still asleep even after her elder sisters had eaten breakfast and gone out to work in the fields.
Fearing that Wuwa might be ill, Daya felt the girl’s forehead with her hand, but finding the temperature normal, she instructed Siwa to feed her younger sister breakfast when she woke up.
Siwa obediently resumed responsibility for looking after her younger sister.
When Ye Shiqi awoke, she found only her fourth sister beside her and sat up in bed.
“Wuwa, are you awake? I’ll carry you to the latrine.”
Ye Shiqi nodded to her elder sister.
Siwa then fulfilled the promise she had made to her eldest sister by feeding Wuwa breakfast.
Ye Shiqi shook her head at her elder sister, gesturing for her to place the bowl and chopsticks within reach, indicating she wanted to eat on her own.
“Wuwa, can you use chopsticks? Be careful to hold the bowl steady, don’t let it fall and break, or grandma will scold you,” cautioned Siwa, doubtfully setting the bowl and chopsticks on the table before settling Wuwa down.